Happy 2018, friends! I’m so excited to be back with you this year. Christmas was fun BUT I’m a little ready to get back into a more normal routine. Whatever normal means. 🙂 I have some yummy recipes on tap to share this winter but first I wanted to pop in to introduce a new series that will debut on Friday!

Introducing…  How I Eat: Meal Planning for Normal People!

Whether you’re cooking for one or a crowd, I firmly believe that good food shouldn’t be sacrificed just because life is busy. Meal planning is the best way for me to accomplish this as a full-time working mom and wife. This seems to be the consensus for many of my friends as well, no matter their current life stage (working/staying at home, single/married, kids/no kids, etc.). I think most people–especially foodies (and that includes YOU if you’re reading this!)–have heard all the benefits of meal planning. It saves time. It saves money. It helps prevent food waste. Blah blah blah. But how do you do it? In my unscientific research (e.g., conversations with friends or my own experience), it’s the how that causes trouble.

Back in the day (aka pre-baby) I could easily, easily, EASILY do a quick meal plan as I was writing a grocery list. I’d have a couple grocery store ads handy, along with a cookbook and my computer to pull up recipes online. I knew our favorite meals and always had a few ideas I wanted to try. It was easy to choose recipes since I didn’t have any time constraints or concerns about who would eat what. To be fair, our little guy is a great eater at 20 months, but there are some things that are hard for him to eat (soup, fresh veggies, etc.) so I have to work around that. I also could do this free of distraction so I didn’t accidentally leave a key ingredient off the grocery list. Just ask me how often that’s happened in recent months. Why does everything take longer/become more difficult when kids are around? Ha!

This year, like many others, I’m looking for a little more organization in life… and a little more inspiration in the kitchen, particularly in the meal planning department. Evenings are always a challenge, no matter your season of life. I feel like getting a real dinner on the table sets the stage for the rest of the week, since we rely on leftovers for hectic nights and work lunches.

So, I devised this fun little weekly series called How I Eat: Meal Planning for Normal People. I’ve interviewed a variety of friends–both bloggers and non-bloggers for a variety of opinions, methods, and strategies for meal planning. Some approach meal planning in a methodical fashion or use a meal planning service, while others are more spontaneous. Some cook for one, while others are cooking for a whole family. Some make 21 meals at home each week while others just focus on getting a homemade dinner on the table each night.

These interviews have inspired me and I hope they do the same for you! I am so grateful to all my friends online and in real life for taking the time to contribute to this project. There are others on my list to interview at a later time as well (if you are interested in joining me in this project, please comment below or contact me via email or social media). So be sure to come back tomorrow for my first How I Eat interview! In the meantime, feel free to browse through my history of meal plans for inspiration and check out this article on The Kitchn about meal planning tips. 🙂